The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1887-09-18
IisISiI WHISKY
some Comcnt, on It, FAST and present
History.


From Alfred Barnard. Ia Hopper Weekly,
Many causes have undoubtedly |
to the steady increase OF !
the whisky distillcry industry. French
brandy, save at exceedingly high
prices. has fallen INTO discrcdit. one
can always obtain iino champagne
for chasse after coffee Mt hjgh class
restaurants or good clubs, but The
"brandy and soda once The popular
Iick.me-up, has surrendered TO W his.
Ky aid aplolinari-, or whatever
special form of minera. acrated water
the connoisscur fanciC> The phylloX
era, and other diseases have il iured
the material for the production of an
unauthorized spirit at ~ rtas onablo
cost: Jumper rum has it, isolated al.
mircds, but is not in general save en-
board chip. Gin and scl'Icr' is y
beverage Affected by Il few. and gin
Is popul, Il among the lower strait: Out
good whisky, scotch or lrish, accor l.
Ing to taste. is the drink rapidly risirg
INTO favor amongst those who touch
ardent spirits In any form or dilulion.
Moreover, when Old, IND of absolutely
first. class quality, 1t g, often lecom-
mendcd - u digestive by the faculty,
Americans drink their own WHISTLES,
chiefly made from rye. CNedt MIA
and llerbernia are faithful TO their
own special forms OF manufacture, and
in England tastes vary. Indeed, Il e
Saxon taste is in many way The pivot
upon which turns the prosperity of
the distiling trade of either nation.
The simp'c fact seems to be that both
form are good ana healthy, VIXEN
really good, aud eXecrabc aud ler-
nicious when LdultU0ted. Cheap
claret, cheap beer, even cheap sherry
are vastly less il furious than bad
spirits of any sort. Remembering
that ii IS essentially a Scotch or lrish
production, the word "N Risky may
be assumed to be corruption of the
Gaulic word "wisgc,' or "isque," OF
"iske"-all meani q water. Ware and
FeuwiCh, Irish arCcvolgians of au-
thorIty, mention that the "aqua vi'T,'
or gu. Ike bsugh' otthe Irish are less
iunammatory than that mtde in Eng
land, because the latter was supposed
TO be OF more recent
invention. As iur back ~
1900, we know the lri-h dist led -plr.
its from malt, aud initiated forelgl
liquors in adding aromatic seeds aht
specs. DR.. johnson in the earlier
editions OF his dicu,nary, does no
quote the word under the letter W
but under "usquae bsugh' he explain
that at is an lIish and Erse word
which signifies the water Of life. /
is compounded distilled spirit, being
drawn ON aromatic and the lrisl
sort is particularly distlngui he'd 70
its pleasant and mild flavor. Thu
Highland sort is somewhat hotter
aud, by corruption, they call
whisky The learned lcXicograph
cr's derivation from usque, undoubt
cdiy accrra'c, may explain the pecu
liar Scotch pronunciation of the wor'
which sounds like 'whurkey,' and i
an obviously phodetic abreviatior
IL is decidedly to our nelodram.tl
friends, the smugglcrs, that we oW
the industry aud the secrc
eXccllencies of good WHISTLES. Earl
in the eighteenth century parliamen
tried To cheek the excessive use q
ardent spirits by imposing tho emo
nous duty of POS per gallon and "a
ipg retailers. The trade becam
Improbable and got entirely Into tn
hands of those cunning alcncmists q
the mountain and glen, the Illicit III
u!lers. smuggling lourished, tn
excise otHcers or "gaugers' wer
marked men, and informtrs wer
hunted down. The act became dea
letter. and wa, repealed in l7l2, bu
The old secrets survive in the ia
Businesses OF scotland and Wcstcr
Ireland. The "sma stills" and IN
picturesque "potheen" manufacture
are both RAPIDLY driven bscI
but in distant islands and isolate
= lonely spots il i, well kuown that Il
, old tr,de is vet carried on, watche
stationed ON the near heights. me